Agencies look into Hobart man's rezoning request

A request to rezone about five acres of vacant land near the corner of 37th Avenue and Roche Street in Hobart was tabled Thursday, while possible environmental and regulatory issues are investigated.

Resident Jake Van Santen told the Plan Commission he recently purchased the property next to land he already owns at a tax sale and wants to store excavation equipment of his that was removed from one of the mills.

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He asked that the property be rezoned from residential to manufacturing.

But Hobart's MS4 coordinator, Tim Kingsland, said there are possible environmental issues with the property. He said a portion could be wetlands, which could be a cause for concern, and a stormwater permit is needed for the amount of fill that Van Santen has already put on the property.

"We need to address these concerns first. It could affect your decision," Kingsland told the commission. "I'm not saying he can't develop the property. I want to make sure we resolve any potential problems first."

O'Brien told the council and commission there is an abandoned well on the property that may contain contaminants. She said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources was interested in purchasing the property several years ago, but decided against it after learning of the possibility.

She said the well itself was never tested because no one had the money for the testing and possible cleanup. The former owners of the property have lived out of state for many years, she said.

IDEM spokesman Barry Sneed said Friday he would look into the wetlands and possible contaminated well issues and should know more by early next week.

DNR spokesman Marty Benson said Friday the DNR was offered the opportunity to buy the property some years ago, but declined. He did not give a reason, but added that the DNR did not test any well on the property.

Councilman David Vinzant, D-4th, who also sits on the plan commission, told Van Santen that a lot of his property now looks like a junk yard, with junk cars stored there.